Disaster response after Hurricane Katrina: A model for an academic-community partnership in Mississippi

Team Reach Out Biloxi is a nursing student-initiated service-learning project with the goal of providing ongoing assistance to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. On 6 different occasions from 2005 to 2008, Purdue nursing students integrated their leadership skills with application of public health knowledge, compassion, and concern as they worked in partnership with the Gulfport region Coastal Family Health Clinics (CFHC). This article reviews the service-learning framework, course planning, and implementation of a 3-year posthurricane disaster project.